PS 635 
.Z9 
B915 
Copy 1 



NO PLAYS EXCHANGED 



Bugbee's Popular Plays 



f[iiimf[ 



Uncle Si and the 

Sunbeam Club 

or the Cloverdale Picnic 

BY 
WILLIS N. BUGBEE 



Price 25 Cents 



The Willis N. Bugbee Co, 

SYRACUSE, N. Y. 



Bugbee's Popular Plays 
Uncle Si and the 

Sunbeam Club 

or The Cloverdale Picnic-" 



A PLAY FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 

^ BY 
WILLIS N. BUGBEE 

Author of ''Jolly Dialogues," ''Just Right Dialogues," 

"Humorous Homespun Dialogues," Uncle 

Ephraim's Summer Boarders," 

"Closing Day at Beanville 

School," etc., etc. 



Copyright 1915, by WiUis N. Bugbee 



/ 



PUBLISHED BY 

The Willis N. Bugbee Co. 

SYRACUSE, N. Y. 



UNCLE SI AND THE SUNBEAM CLUB 

CHARACTERS. 

Uncle Si Fletcher The Owner of Cloverdale 

George Perkins . 

Leslie Wright j 

Henry Barnes 

Arthur Spriggs i^ Members of the Sunbeam Club 

Alice Burton / 

Lulu Dean 

Jennie Farley 

Anna Green 

Aunt Becky Sharp The Chaperon 

Mrs. O'Flaherty Uncle Sis Housekeeper 

Molly Burke 

Dicky Flynn An Orphan 

Sam Uncle Si's Chore Boy 

COSTUMES. 

The members of the club dress in ordinary clothing in Act L 
Appropriate picnic costumes for Act H. Arthur is padded 
to appear very fleshy. His last appearance is in a very odd- 
fitting suit, much too small for him. -Jennie appears at last in 
an old calico dress of Mrs. O'Flaherty's, odd in design and 
•much too large for her. Uncle Si wears coarse clothing vi^ith- 
out regard for style, no coat, and is "made up" with chin 
whiskers, gray hair, etc. Aunt Becky wears* plain, old- 
fashioned clothing and bonnet. Dicky and Molly wear clean 
but shabby clothes. Mrs. O'Flaherty wears work dress with 
sleeves rolled to elbows. Sam wears light colored trousers and 
gay shirt, no coat, straw hat. 

Any songs may be used as specialties in this play. ''Catch the 
Sunshine," found in **The Blue Book of Favorite Songs," is 
quite appropriate, however, for the opening club song. The 
price is 6 cents prepaid for single copy, or 60 cents per dozen. 
Address publishers of this book. 

OCT -7 1915 ©CID 41993 - 

A^ / 

TMP92-008737 



UNCLE SI AND THE SUNBEAM CLUB 

Act I. 

Scene: A living room. The members of the club are seated 
about the stage in semi-circular form, George at center. 

George. Are all the members of the Sunbeam Club present ? 
Leslie. All but Arthur Spriggs. He's late as usual. 
Henry. That's a characteristic of his. He makes me think 
of a verse I read the other day: 

"I know a boy who's always late 

At work or at his play, 
He's late for church and late for school, 

And late for meals each day, 
He's late to go to bed at night, 

He's late to rise at morn, 
Without a doubt he will be late 
When Gabriel blows his horn." 

(£/2/^r, Arthur hurriedly, wiping forehead.) 

Arthur. Oh wheel Here I am. Got here in time after all, 
didn't I? 

Anna. Got here in time? I should say not, my boy. We've 
been waiting ten minutes for you. 

Arthur. Shucks! That isn't long. I'd been here sooner 
if ma hadn't sent me to the store for some coffee. It takes Jack 
Tubbs the longest time to grind coffee of any one I ever saw. 

George. Well, since we're all here now, let's begin the 

meeting by singing . {Use any appropriate song. All 

sing.) The secretary will now read the minutes of the last 
meeting. 

Anna {rising and reading) : 

Pikeville, June i, 19 — . 

The meeting of the Sunbeam Club was called to order at 7 
o'clock with everybody present except Arthur Spriggs who was 
six minutes and a half late. 



Uncle Si and the Sunbeam Club 



Arthur. Wouldn't have been if pa hadn't made me stay 
and feed the chickens. 

Anna {reading) : Next came the reports from the members 
regarding the sunshine work. After that was the election of 
officers. This was a very exciting part of the meeting as there 
was considerable rivalry shown. George Perkins was elected 
president, Alice Burton vice president, Anna Green secretary, 
and Leslie Wright treasurer. 

Leslie. With just twenty-seven cents in the treasury, b'gum. 

Anna {reading) : Arthur Spriggs and Lulu Dean sang a 
duet entitled "A Little Ray of Sunshine That Fell in Hpgan's 
Row\" After that a few games wtrt played and the meeting 
adjourned for one week. 

Henry, I move that the minutes be accepted. 

Leslie. Second it. 

Geo. All in favor of it please say "aye." {All say ''aye.") 
The minutes are accepted. Now we will hear from each one 
as to what has been done to bring sunshine into this community 
during the past week. Jennie may speak first. 

Jennie. Really I don't think I've done anything remarkable. 
You know w^'ve got plenty of flowers at our house, so I've given 
bouquets to all the sick and disabled people in the neighborhood. 
Then the other day a tramp came along begging for clothes, so 
I gave him an old pair of pa's patent leather shoes and an old 
silk hat that he was going to throw away. 

Arthur {laughing heartily). Ho! ho! ho! A hobo in a 
plug hat. He must be king of the hoboes. 

Geo. Lulu is next. 

Lulu. I don't suppose you \\\\\ think I have done much, 
but if you folks had been reading to a deaf old lady like Mrs. 
Spencer for an hour and a half a day from "The Lives of the 
Ancient Martyrs" I guess you'd think you were martyrs and 
quite ancient ones at that. 

Several. I should say we w^ould. 



Uncle Si and the Sunbeam Club 



Geo, Alice's turn is next. 

Alice. I will answer for both Anna and myself. We have 
been tending babies this week for Mrs. Bumpus. Ever since 
her little John Henry and Percy Augustus had the measles 
and mumps and whooping cough last winter she hasn't been 
feeling very well so we volunteered to take care of them after- 
noons for a while till she recuperates, as Sol Wheeler would say. 

Anna. But they were just as good as they could be every 
single minute. 

Arthur. Mr. President, that makes me think. I took care 
of Mrs. Jones' baby one day last week while she went to a 
funeral and I had the awfullest time you ever saw. Say, I'll 
bet that baby's got the strongest pair of lungs of any baby in the 
w^hole United States. It just squalled and hollered and screamed 
and — 

Henry. No wonder. I don't blame it a bit. 

Jennie. Maybe it had a pain. 

Leslie. Or cramps in the stomach. 

Henry. Or was cutting its eye teeth. 

Lulu. More likely it missed its mother. 

Arthur. I'll be blamed if I know what ailed it, but I did 
all I could for it — sang all sorts of songs to it, and rocked it and 
tossed it up in the air and tickled its tootsy-wootsies and finally 
I gave it a dose of castor oil. 

Girls. Mercy sakes! {Boys laugh.) 

Lulu. It's a wonder you didn't kill the poor thing. 

Arthur. It wasn't dead when I came by this morning, 
that's a sure thing. 

Geo. It's Leslie's turn now. 

Leslie. I speak for all of us, don't I boys? 

Boys. Yes, yes, go ahead. 

Leslie. Well, then I'll tell you what we've been doing. 



6 Uncle Si and the Sunbeam Club 

We've been splitting firewood for Aunt Becky Sharp. We dis- 
covered that she had to do it all herself last winter so we clubbed 
together and have split about four cords already. 

Henry. Gee, but wasn't she tickled! She could hardly 
thank us enough. 

Geo. I think w^'ve all done pretty well this week, if you'll 
pardon the self praise. As Prof. Brown would say, "A kindly 
deed is like a ray of sunshine in a darkened world." 

Anna. Yes, but I do wish we could do something really 
worth while — something that would make the people of this 
village proud of the "Sunbeam Club." 

Alice. For my part I think we ought to be content to per- 
form the little deeds that come our way and maybe some time 
we shall be able to do something far better and grander than 
anything we've ever done yet. 

Lulu. Mr. President, if you please, I've got a letter here 
that I would like to read to the club. It's from an old gentle- 
man that father and I got acquainted w^ith last summer at 
Grand Beach. 

Geo. All right. Go ahead and read it. 
Lulu {reading letter) : 



Cloverdale, May 25, . 

Miss Lulu Dean, 

My dear young friend: 
I ain't forgot about you an' your pa an' the good times we 
had here at Grand Beach last summer, nor the Sunbeam Club 
that you told me so much about. You recollect my tellin' you 
how I'd just come from the gold diggin's an' of buyin' this place 
at Cloverdale an' how I ain't got neither kith nor kin to help 
me enjoy it. Well the upshot of it all is I've hatched up a little 
scheme to have you invite your sunbeam friends, an' as many 
others as you're a mind to, to come out here to Cloverdale for 
a little picnic. Let me know a few days ahead of time if you're 



Uncle Si and the Sunbeam Club 



a comin' an' I'll have things all ready for a grand good time. 
". ! Yours truly, 

Uncle Si Fletcher. 
P. S. — If you decide to come, I'll send Sam for you in the 
big automobile carryall. 

Arthur. Gee! What do you know about that! 

Geo. That sounds like a good ofFer. What's the opinion of 
the club? Has anybody got anything to say about it? 

Henry. I'd like to know what sort of a man Mr. Silas 
Fletcher is anyway. 

Lulu. He's a real nice man, jolly and full of fun, and every- 
body likes him. They all call him "Uncle Si." 

Jennie. Where is Cloverdale? I never heard of such a 
place before. Is it on the map? 

Lulu. It's the name of Mr. Fletcher's home at Grand 
Beach. He's got it all fixed up with artificial ponds and flower 
gardens and drives and everything lovely. 

Arthur. Say, will we have anything to eat? 

Lulu. Why, of course we'll have something to eat. Mrs. 
O'Flaherty, his housekeeper, is a splendid cook. 

Jennie. Oh, then he isn't married? 

Lulu. No, he's an old bach, and an awfully jolly one. 

Alice. Well, I say let's go. 

Anna. So do I. 

Arthur. Me, too. 

Geo. We'll have to take a vote on it. All those in favor of 
going for a picnic to Uncle Si Fletcher's say "aye." 

All. Aye! Aye! 

Geo. It seems to be unanimous. 

Jennie. Mr. President, I think we ought to have a chaperon 
and I suggest that we ask Aunt Becky Sharp to go with us. 

Several. Oh yes, she'll be just the one for a chaperon. 



8 Uncle Si and the Sunbeam Club 

Henry. The letter said we could invite anyone else we 
wanted to, so I suggest we ask Dicky Flynn. He doesn't have 
many chances to go to picnics. 

Anna. And Molly Burke, too. Let's ask her. 
Alice. I think we'd better ask our parents first whether we 
can go ourselves or not. 

Jennie. That would be a good idea. 

Leslie. And then we'll meet again tomorrow to talk the 
matter over. 

Henry. Just the thing. I make a motion we adjourn till 
tomorrow night at seven o'clock to make further plans for the 
Cloverdale picnic. 

Jennie. I second the motion. 

Geo. You've all heard the motion that we adjourn until 
tomorrow night to complete the plans for the picnic. All in 
favor say "aye." 
All. Aye! Aye! 

Geo. It's carried, so we'll adjourn by giving the club yell. 
All ready. 

All {rising) : 

Rub a dub! Rub a dub! Rub, dub, dub! 
Sunbeam! Sunbeam! Sunbeam Club! 
Scattering sunshine bright and gay. 
That's our mission everv dav. 
Rub a dub ! Rub a dub ! Rub, dub, dub ! 
Sunbeam! Sunbeam! Sunbeam Club! 
{After giving yell, all may join in singing a stanza of "Good 
Night, Ladies" or any appropriate closing song.) 

Curtain. 

Scene: A lawn at Cloverdale. A green carpet or heavy green 
cloth spread upon the floor will represent the grass. A low fence 
may be placed at the rear, if desired, and a lawn settee at L. 



Uncle Si and the Sunbeam Club 9 

{Enter Uncle Si with camp stools which he places about 
the stage. Meanwhile he hums or sings a portion of some old- 
time melody.^ 

{Enter Mrs. O'Flaherty with sleeves rolled to elbows.) 

Mrs. O'F. Faix, an' ye're the happiest mon I iver saw in 
me loife, Mr. Fletcher. 

Uncle Si. An' why shouldn't I be happy with a hull bunch 
of sunbeams a-comin' here to spend the day. I reckon this ere 
neighborhood will be fairly flooded with sunshine 'fore night. 

Mrs. O'F. An' 'tis yersilf will be the biggest sunbeam iv the 
lot, I'm thinkin'. Yez jist make me think iv a bye thot has niver 
growed up. 'Tis sich a pity ytz niver had a woife, so it is. 

Uncle Si. Probably that's the reason I am so happy, Mrs. 
O'Flaherty. Yes, I cal'late that's jest the reason. 

Mrs. O'F. Now there's the Widder Blinkers — she'd make 
yez a foine woife, thot she would, an' so would Mary Jane 
boolittle an' — 

Uncle S/. Tut, tut, Mrs. O'Flaherty! What are you 
talkin' about? What would I do with two wives? 

Mrs. O'F. Och, niver a bit was I talkin' about two woives. 
It was takin' your pick iv the two I would be afther mintionin'. 

Uncle Si. Wal, never mind the wives jest now. How's the 
dinner comin' along? 

Mrs. O'F. Och, 'twill be as foine a dinner as iver yez laid 
yer two eyes upon, an' enough iv it for a hull regiment, begorry. 

Uncle Si. But not a scrap too much for the youngsters if 
they bring along the appetites I think they will. Tell ye what, 
Mrs. O'Flaherty, I ain't forgot the picnics we uster have back 
in New Hampshire afore I went to the diggin's. Cricky! but 
didn't we have the good times — us boys an' gals together. 
{Jumps up suddenly.) Hello! Here they come now. Here's 
the Sunbeams! 

]\Irs. O'F. Thin I must be goin' to me work roight away. 
{Exit.) 



lo Uncle Si and the Sunbeam Club 

{Sound off staff e at L, as of auto approaching.) 

Uncle Sl Wal, now, ain't that what you might call a 
grand turn-out, an' a jolly crowd, I'll guarantee. (Waves 
handkerchief. Sound of shouting and laughing. Auto stops. 

Enter LuLU followed by others.) 

Lulu {rushing up to Uncle Si and shaking hands.) Hello, 
Uncle Si! Here we are. Here's all the members of the Sun- 
beam Club and Dicky Flynn and Molly Burke, and Mrs. 
Sharp — she's our chaperon, you know. 

Uncle Si {shaking hands and bowing). Wal, wal, I'm 
mighty glad to see ye — all of ye. I've heerd so much about the 
club from Miss Lulu that I feel's if we were old friends a-ready. 
As I wrote in the letter I want ye all to enjoy yourselves and 
have a grand good time. The place is yourn while you're here, 
an' there ain't no restrictions an' no signs to "Keep ofiE the 
grass." 

Geo. As president of the club I wish to thank you for your 
kindness, Mr. Fletcher, and we'll certainly do the best we can 
to enjoy ourselves. {To others) Isn't that so? 

Several. Yes, yes, you're right we will. That's what we're 
here for, etc. 

Uncle Si. That's good. An' now if any of ye want to 
brush up a leetle after your ride jest come right along into the 
house an' Mrs. O'Flaherty will look after ye. 

Lulu. Come on, girls, and Mrs. Sharp, too. {Exit Uncle 
Si, R., followed by girls.) 

Leslie. What are we going to do, boys? We don't need 
to primp ourselves up any. 

Arthur. I've got an eye on that pond over there. Think 
I'll go over and investigate it. 

Geo. We'll all go with you. What do you say, fellows? 

Boys. Sure we'll go. Come on, Dicky. 



I 



Uncle Si and the Sunbeam Club ii 

Dicky. Gee, but look at the water spoutin' right up in the 
middle of it. Ain't this great! {Exeunt boys L.) 

{Enter Sam, R.) 

Sam {singing). 

Oh, I went to Louisiana 
Fo' to see my Susie Anna, 
Rinktum a dinktum a dee. 

Hi gracious, if dis ain't gwinter be a bully day fo' Cloverdale 
den I'm bery muchly mistaken. Dem Sunbeam folks am sut- 
tinly gwinter hab a jolly time, sho's yo' born. Anyways dey's 
gwine hab nuff to eat 'case ol' Mis' Flannery — I mean Mis' 
Flaherty — she's done cooked up de bestes' cookables dat was 
ebber cooked, an' dis niggah's boun' to get his share, yo' bet. 

Oh, I WTnt to Louisiana 
Fo' to see my 

{Enter Uncle S/, r.) 

Uncle Si. Wal, Sam, you beginning to feel the effect of the 
sunshine a-ready? That's a mighty jolly crowd you brought 
over. 

Sam. Yes sah, dat's a fac'. Yo' done spoke de truf fo' once. 

Uncle Si. An' now, Sam, I want you to go an' carry the 
big tables out under the boss chestnut trees, then you can help 
Mrs. O'Flaherty with the vittles. 

Sam. Yes sah, Fse a powahful good ban' in de culinary de 
pa'tment, I is. {Starts to go off L., but stops suddenly and be- 
gins to laugh heartily.) Ho! ho! he! he! Wat yo' s'pose? Dat 
big fat feller jes' now fall in de pon' head ober heels. Ho! ho! 
he! he! {Runs off l.) 

{A great disturbance is heard outside. Cries of "Help! help! 
Bring a rope! etc.) 

Uncle Si. Wal, jumpin' frogs! Fll have to go'n help 
fish that young chap out of the water. {Exit hurriedly.) 

{Enter Mrs. Sharp and girls, r.) 



12 Uncle Si and the Sunbeam Club 

Mrs. S. Mercy sakes! What's the matter? Has somebody 
fell in the pond? 

Anna. Yes, see! It's Arthur. They've got him out and 
are coming this way. 

Mrs. S. Dear me! An' to think I'm his chaperon. 

(Enter UncleSi and boys, L. Arthur appears to be dripping 
wet.) 

Geo. Gee! You ought to have seen Art fall in the pond. 
He was trying to catch a gold fish with his hand, and somehow 
or another he lost his balance and — 

Henry. My, but didn't he make a splash! Went in like 
a thousand of brick. 

Sam. Ho! ho! he! he! He done look like a big mud turtle 
in a wash tub. 

Leslie. But he was too late to catch the fish. 

Arthur. Maybe you fellows think it's funny but I don't. 
'Tisn't any laughing matter to get soused in a pond and have 
to go 'round in wet clothes all day. 

Uncle Si. Don't worry, young man. Wuss things than 
that have happened. You couldn't have drowned in there very 
easy 'cause the pond ain't over twelve inches deep, an' as for dry 
clothes I cal'late we can find ye some somewhere. Jest come 
along with me. 

Henry. Come on. Art. I'll go with 50U. {Exeunt Uncle 
Si, Arthur and Henry, r.) 

Sam. Spects I'd bettah go'n see to de vittles. {Exit, R.) 

Anna. Well, I'm awfully glad he didn't drown. We'd 
miss him dreadfully in the club. 

Molly. Oh look, Jennie, at that funny little lamb over 
there ! 

Jennie. Isn't it cute. I'm going right over and see it. 

Anna. So'm I. 



Uncle Si and the Sunbeam Club 13 

Alice. Well, go ahead then, but Lulu and I are going to 
have a swing. 

Lulu {reciting or singing) : 

"Oh, I do love to go up in a swing. 
Up in the air so high." 

Geo. And we boys can send you up as high as you w^ant to 
go. {Exeunt boys and girls R. and L.) 

Mrs. S. Dear me! It's quite a job after all to look after a 
party of young folks at a picnic. But I s'pose I was jest as lively 
as any of 'em when I was young. I remember jest as well as 
yesterday the last picnic I went to. That was a good many 
years ago an' Silas Fletcher was there with me as my escort. I 
don't s'pose he has any idee that I'm the same Becky Marsh 
that he uster take to picnics an' huskin' bees an' dances an' sech 
things. But times have changed a good deal since then an' a 
good many things have happened, so mebbe it's jest as wtU he 
don't know me. If I'd even suspected that 'twas Silases place 
we was a-comin' to 'tain't any ways likely I'd a been here today. 

{Enter Uncle Si, R.) 

Uncle Si. Wal, there, I've got that feller all fixed up with 
dry clothes. Wonder what'U happen next. {Sees Mrs. S.) 
Why, howdy do, Mis' Chaperon. You look sorter lonesome. 
Have the young folks all gone an' left ye? 

Mrs. S. Yes, an' they seem to be havin' a good time, too. 
Jest hear 'em. 

{The young people are heard singing outside. Mrs. S. and 
Uncle Si stop to listen.) 

Uncle Si. Tell ye what — that does my old heart good. I 
uster be a gay young feller once myself. Hain't got entirely 
over it yet, either. 

{Enter LuLU^ running.) 

Lulu. Oh, Aunt Becky and Uncle Si, just see how high 
Alice is swinging — aw^ay up in the branches of the elm tree. 



14 Uncle Si and the Sunbeam Club 

Mrs. S. Land sakes ! Do tell 'em to be careful. She'll fall 
an 'break her neck. {Exit Lulu.) 

Uncle Si. Aunt Becky? Becky, did she say? That name 
sounds familiar. I uster know a Becky once. She was young 
an' about your size an' as purty as a pictur, with light brown 
hair and soft blue eyes an' — wal, I swan! if you don't look an 
awful sight like her, only a leetle older. {Offers hand to her.) 
Why say, Becky, I'm mighty glad to see ye. {They shake hands 
heartily.) 

Mrs. S. An' really I — I'm glad to see you too, Silas. It's 
been a good long while since I saw you last. 

Uncle Sl Nigh onto thirty years. But how come ye to be 
in this part of the country? That's what I can't quite make out. 

Mrs. S. Wal, I'll tell ye. You see I married Mr. Sharp 
about five years after you went West an' — 

Uncle Si, So I heerd, so I heerd. 

Mrs. S. An' as Mr. Sharp had relations out this way we 
moved to Pikeville an' started in business in a small way, but he 
took sick an' died about ten years ago. 

Uncle Si. Died? Your husband died? I hadn't heerd of 
that. 

Mrs. S. Yes, it'll be ten years come next October, an' a 
hard time I've had since then. 

{Sound of girls screaming off stage at L.) 

Mercy me! What's happened now! {jumping up). I hope 
nobody's fell out of the swing. 

Uncle Si. Or into the fish pond. 

{Enter Jennie running, followed by Anna and Molly.) 

Jennie. Oh, Aunt Becky, see what a big hole I tore in my 
dress. I went to pick up that funny little lamb, and just then 
that big sheep — 

Molly. The one with the long horns, you know — 
Jennie. Yes, sir, that old sheep came after us pell mell — - 



Uncle Si and the Sunbeam Club 15 

Molly. And we all had to climb over the fence quick as scat. 

Jennie. And I tore this big hole in my dress. 

Anna. Gracious! How my heart jumped! What would 
the old sheep have done to us, Mr. Fletcher? 

Uncle Si. HawM haw! That ain't no sheep. It's old Billy, 
the goat, but he ain't nigh so dangersome as he looks. 

Molly. Oh, then it wasn't a lamb after all — only a kid. 

Jennie. Dear me! Now my new dress is ruined. What 
shall I do? 

Mrs. S. {exaTuining the tear). Mebbe I can catch it up 
with a needle an' thread. 

Uncle Si. Wal, now, that's too bad. Old Billy didn't 
mean to do it. He was only playin'. But never mind, we'll go 
an' see what Mrs. O'Flaherty can do for us. She's a capital 
hand for sech things, Mrs. O'Flaherty is. {Exeunt.) 

{Enter Sam eating a large piece of pie.) 

Sam. Golly, I'se mighty glad dem Sunbeamers come today, 
I suah is. I'se done got de big tables all sot out under de boss 
chestnut trees, an' de eatables am mos' all spread out a-ready. 
Tell yo' wat — dat ol' Mis' Flannery is de bestes' cook I ebber 
seed. Spects I'd orter know 'case I'se sampled ebry single ting 
dat was put on de tables — de chicken an* de ham sandwiches, 
an' de tarts an' de pickles an' seben kinds of cake an' de baked 
beans an' now dis yere pie wat done take de prize of dem all. 
{Looking to R.) Golly! Dere comes Uncle Si an' de chaperon 
woman. Don't dey make de scrumptious lookin' couple. Spects 
I bettah be makin' myse'f scurse. {Exit.) 

{Enter Uncle Si and Mrs. S.) 

Uncle Si. An' so your husband's dead an' gone an' you're 
left to battle with the world alone. I cal'late we've both on 
us had our ups an' downs in the past thirty years. 

Mrs. S. An' you hain't been back again in all this time? 

Uncle Si. Not till two years ago when I bought this place. 



i6 Uncle Si and the Sunbeam Club • 

You see me an' my pardner prospected for gold all over the 
Rockies purty much, an' down in Mexico, an' up in British Col- 
umby, but we never struck pay dirt till we went to the Klondyke 
region an' there we struck it rich. But when my pardner, 
Bill Flynn died I got kinder homesick for the East, so here I 
be an' here I'm goin' to stay a spell. 

Mrs. *S. Did you say your pardner's name was Bill Flynn? 

Uncle Sl Yessum, that was jest it, but poor Bill couldn't 
stand the climate. 

Mrs. S. (aside). Bill Flynn? Now I wonder if 'twas the 
same Bill Flynn. 

Uncle Sl Look, Becky. See what's comin'. 

{Sound of laughing off stage at R. Enter George, followed 
by Arthur and Jennie^ both in odd costumes. Other boys 
and girls bring up in the rear.) 

Geo. Mr. Fletcher and Mrs. Sharp, allow us to present to 
you Mr. Arthur Spriggs and Miss Jennie Farley in their bor- 
rowed finery. They will now render a duet entitled — {They 
may sing any selection.) Now we have a few other selections. 
You see we prepared a short program especially for the occa- 
sion as a pleasant surprise for you. {Other songs, recitations, 
etc., may be given. Sam and Mrs. O'F . enter during this per- 
formance. Applause may follow various selections if desired.) 

Sam. Golly, wasn't dat splendiferous! Reckon I don gib 
yo' a little s'prise pahty m^^se'f. {He may sing darky song.) 

Uncle Sl Wal, I cal'late we've all been purty agreeably 
surprised with this little concert. We've enjoyed it all fust- 
rate. An' now as surprises are in order FU have to take a hand 
in the game myself. Becky here — I mean Mrs. Sharp — an' my- 
self invite you all to attend our wedding sometime in the very 
near future. 

Several. Oh, Uncle Si! Aunt Becky! You don't mean it! 
{Also exclamations from Sam and Mrs. O'Flaherty.) 



Uncle Si and the Sunbeam Club 17 

Alice. Is it really true, Aunt Becky? Did you really know 
Mr. Fletcher before we came here? 

Mrs. S. Yes, dear, we were children together back in old 
New Hampshire. We were engaged to each other years ago 
but we were separated an' never saw each other again until 
today. 

Lulu. Oh good ! Is'nt it lovely that you've found each 
other again. 

Anna. And it was the Sunbeam Club that did it. 

Mrs. OT. Begorry, 'tis mesilf would be afther givin' yez 
both a blessin'. 

Uncle Si. That was surprise No. i. Now I've got some- 
thing else to tell ye. When I was up in the Klondyke I had a 
pardner by the name of Bill Flynn, an' when he died he told 
me he had a child somewhere back here in the East. Accordin' 
to the testimony of Becky, this here young chap is the feller I've 
been looking for. Such bein' the case, young man, you can con- 
sider this your home from now on. 

Dicky. Am I really to come and live with you? 

Uncle Sl That's iest it. provided >ou can put up with me 
an' Becky. 

Dicky. Oh good! 

Boys. Hurrah for Dicky Flynn. 

Uncle Si. Now for surprise No. 3. I'm goin' to donate 
money enough to fit up a readin' room for this here club of 
yourn jest as a remembrance of your Uncle Si. 

Several. Oh thank you. thank you, Mr. Fletcher. 

Geo. We will make both you and Aunt Becky honorary 
members for life. 

Anna. And I think the Sunbeam Club has really done 
something worth while after all. 

Alice. But here's Molly — if only Molly could have a sur- 
prise too. 



i8 Uncle Si and the Sunbeam Club 



Uncle Sl Whj^ bless the dear child, we forgot her, didn't 
we? What d' ye say, Becky, to havin' this leetle gal come over 
here an' spend the summer with us soon's we get settled ? 

Mrs. S. I think 'twould be real good of ye to do it, Silas. 

Uncle Sl Then that's jest what we'll do. So you can be- 
gin to pack your carpet bag as soon as ye get home. Miss Molly. 

Molly {clapping hands). Oh goody! goody! That will be 
just splendid ! 

Mrs. O'F. Faix, an' I've got a surprise for ye mesilf. There's 
a big dinner a waitin' for yez tother side iv the house an' ye'd 
betther be comin' before this young spalpeen {motioning to Sam) 
eats it all up. 

Uncle Sl An' let me say right here that Mrs. O'Flaherty's 
got the reputation of bein' the best cook in the county. 

Sam. Yes sah, dat am de truf suah nuf¥. 

Uncle Sl {to audience). An' to you, dear friends, there 
will always be a welcome at Cloverdale. 

All. Then hurrah for Aunt Becky and Uncle Si! 

Curtain. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



016 102 503 3 



